Transactions News & Rumors

NFL Minor Transactions: 11/28/25

Here are Friday’s minor NFL transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

Washington Commanders

With leading receiver Drake London set to miss his second straight game with a knee injury, Drummond joins the 53-man roster off the taxi squad. He was unable to be a standard gameday practice squad elevation, since he’d already been elevated three times this year.

Chosen is headed to the waiver wire after three games with Washington. He caught five balls for 53 yards on eight targets as an elevation off the practice squad, but after getting signed to the 53-man roster two and a half weeks ago, he only saw one target in the team’s overtime loss to Miami.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/28/25

Today’s practice squad transactions from around the NFL:

Green Bay Packers

New England Patriots

Finding himself on waivers after missing two extra point attempts at MetLife last weekend, Havrisik went unclaimed on the waiver wire. Brandon McManus is back off the injury report, but Havrisik will remain on the taxi squad in Green Bay, just in case.

Reynolds’ five-year run in Detroit finally has come to an end. Originally an undrafted free agent out of Kutztown University in 2019, Reynolds bounced around before landing with the Lions just before the start of the 2021 season. After two years with Detroit’s practice squad, Reynolds spent most of the last two and a half years on the team’s 53-man roster until getting waived yesterday. He brings a bit more experience to the Patriots’ taxi squad backs over Baker, the undrafted rookie from Elon.

Cardinals Release Xavier Thomas; Baron Browning To Return In Week 13

The Cardinals will have outside linebackers Baron Browning and BJ Ojulari on the field together for the first time this season in Week 13.

Browning is returning from a two-game absence due to a concussion, while Ojulari missed Arizona’s first nine games as he recovered from last year’s knee injury. With both players back in the fold, the Cardinals waived 2024 fifth-rounder Xavier Thomas, per team reporter Darren Urban.

Despite playing 54% of the team’s defensive snaps in his nine appearances, Browning has just 26 tackles, two sacks, and three tackles for loss on the season. However, he has been credited with 22 pressures and a 12.5% pass rush win rate, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which both rank third among the Cardinals’ pass rushers. Based on those numbers, he is due for some better production for the rest of the season.

Thomas only appeared in four games this season with 15 snaps on defense and 42 on special teams. As a rookie, Thomas played 208 snaps with 2.5 sacks and two tackles for loss, but the addition of Josh Sweat this offseason and the return of Ojulari in Week 11 pushed him out of the rotation. Thomas will hit waivers and leave a dead cap hit of $93k in 2025 and $186k in 2026.

Bills Place Curtis Samuel On IR, Promote WR Gabe Davis

The Bills swapped wide receivers on their active roster on Friday by placing Curtis Samuel on injured reserve and signing Gabe Davis from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.

Samuel was sidelined with knee and elbow injuries in Week 12, his fifth absence of the season after missing Weeks 1 through 4. He has only logged 81 receiving yards in six games despite a 40% snap share when active. This is his second disappointing campaign in a row after signing in Buffalo during the 2024 offseason. His three-year, $24MM contract has not aged well and he will likely be released as a cap casualty in the offseason. A pre-June 1 cut would save $6.275MM against the Bills’ 2026 salary cap with $3.45MM in dead money, per OverTheCap. A release after June 1 would save $8MM in 2026 with $1.725MM of dead money in 2026 and 2027.

Davis reunited with the Bills just before the start of the regular season, but did not see the field until second-year wideout Keon Coleman was benched in Week 11. Davis has started the last two games and caught four of his six targets for 62 yards on 59 snaps. His promotion to the 53-man roster indicates that he will continue to feature in Buffalo’s passing game for the rest of the season.

The Bills will also be without a number of key starters for their Week 13 matchup against the Steelers. Left tackle Dion Dawkins, right tackle Spencer Brown, and linebacker Terrel Bernard will all be sidelined on Sunday, according to the team’s injury report.

Dawkins briefly left last week’s game against the Texans to be checked for a concussion, but was cleared to return. After the game, however, symptoms reappeared, forcing the nine-year veteran into concussion protocol. He did not participate in practice this week.

Brown also went down in Week 12. His shoulder injury happened after Dawkins returned to the game; both tackles were replaced by swing tackle Ryan Van Demark in their respective absences. Van Demark will likely start at left tackle, which will set up rookie Chase Lundt to make his first career start at right tackle. The sixth-round pick has made one appearance this season, a three-snap effort in Week 4.

Bernard suffered an elbow injury in Houston, which will likely result in an uptick in work for Shaq Thompson and Dorian Williams. Bernard is tied for the most solo tackles and tackles for loss on the Bills defense.

Though Brown and Bernard could miss multiple games with their injuries, they are not expected to land on injured reserve, per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic.

Rams Waive K Joshua Karty

The Los Angeles Rams waived Joshua Karty on Friday, per a team announcement, meaning that Harrison Mevis will take over the team’s kicking job for the rest of the season

The Rams signed Mevis to their practice squad at the beginning of November after some early season struggles from Karty. Mevis won a practice competition ahead of a Week 10 matchup with the 49ers. He his six extra points in that game and three in the next, enough to earn a spot on the active roster and another game as the team’s kicker.

In Week 12, he was finally tested on field goals, and he hit both of his attempts from 40 and 52 yards. He made another four extra points, too, enough to earn the confidence of the Rams’ coaching staff moving forward, at least enough for the team to move on from Karty.

Karty will go on waivers, though he seems unlikely to be claimed given his struggles this season. His performance as a rookie in 2024 – with an 88.3% make rate and five conversions on six attempts from over 50 yards – indicates he has the talent and leg strength to be a kicker in the NFL. An injury to another kicker could give him another chance this season, and he will likely seek an opportunity to compete for a starting job in 2026.

Vikings Rule Out QB J.J. McCarthy; Max Brosmer To Make First Start

The Vikings have ruled out quarterback J.J. McCarthy for Sunday’s game against the Seahawks, per a team announcement, setting undrafted rookie Max Brosmer up for his first NFL start.

The Vikings will also elevate former Rams quarterback John Wolford from the practice squad to serve as Brosmer’s backup.

McCarthy was placed in concussion protocol after symptoms popped up on the Vikings’ flight home from their Week 12 loss to the Packers. He was a limited participant in practice this week but did not receive clearance to play on Sunday against the Packers. This will be McCarthy’s sixth absence this season after suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 2. He returned in Week 9 and started the next four games before going down once more.

As a result, Brosmer will make the first start of his career. He went undrafted in April and signed with the Vikings to compete with veteran Brett Rypien for the team’s QB3 job. Brosmer won and made the 53-man roster behind McCarthy and Carson Wentz, who was signed after prospective backup Sam Howell was traded to the Eagles.

Brosmer has played in three games this season amid the injuries to McCarthy and Wentz. He has taken only 19 snaps and thrown eight passes, five of which were completed for a total of 42 yards. Getting in a full week of practice with the Vikings’ starting offense may help the 24-year-old perform better in his first start.

Brosmer was a three-year starter for the New Hampshire Wildcats and led the FCS in 2023 with 3,464 yards and 29 touchdowns through the air. He transferred to the University of Minnesota in 2024 and put together a solid but unspectacular season, leading the Golden Gophers to a 8-5 record as a starter without notable individual stats. A strong showing in Week 13 (as well as any other appearances for the rest of the season) should position him to compete for the backup quarterback job next season.

McCarthy has struggled enough this year that Brosmer pushing him for the starting gig in 2026 feels within the realm of possibility, too. Vikings head coach Kevin McConnell‘s former boss, Kyle Shanahan, went to an unheralded young quarterback to replace his handpicked top-10 selection once it became clear that Brock Purdy offered more than Trey Lance. It’s not inconceivable that McConnell could find himself in the same position next year.

NFL Minor Transactions: 11/27/25

Happy Thanksgiving! Here are the holiday’s minor NFL transactions and some standard gameday elevations for today’s night game and tomorrow’s Black Friday game:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Philadelphia Eagles

Newman and Brown were removed from the Bears’ 53-man roster as corresponding moves to make room for their two activations off injured reserve today.

Martin is being called up as a standard gameday practice squad elevation for the third time this year. If the Ravens would like him to play in any more games after this week, they’ll need to sign him to the 53-man roster.

Lampkin was designated to return from IR back on November 6, and his 21-day practice squad window has come and gone without an activation by the Eagles. The undrafted rookie out of North Carolina will spend the rest of his rookie season on IR, as a result of not being activated.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/27/25

Thanksgiving Day’s taxi squad moves in the NFL:

Detroit Lions

New York Jets

  • Signed: DE Paschal Ekeji
  • Placed on practice squad/injured list: G Leander Wiegand

Ekeji replaces Wiegand as the 17th member of the Jets’ practice squad. Teams are allowed to carry one player over the 16-man limit for the taxi squad, given the 17th player is a participant in the league’s International Player Pathway Program. Wiegand, a German native, will move to the injured list to make room for Ekeji, who holds citizenship in three countries but originally hails from Lesotho, a small African country fully encapsulated within the borders of the larger country of South Africa. He most recently played rugby for a professional club in South Africa.

Ravens Place RB Justice Hill, DT Taven Bryan On IR

Justice Hill and Taven Bryan have already been ruled out for the Ravens’ game tonight against the Bengals. Both veterans will be unavailable for an extended period.

Hill and Bryan have been moved to injured reserve, per a team announcement. As such, today’s Thanksgiving finale will mark the first of at least four games they are required to miss. A neck ailment has shut Hill down for the time being; Bryan has a knee injury.

As was the case last year, Derrick Henry has led the way in terms of backfield usage for Baltimore. The future Hall of Famer has essentially alternated between productive and quiet games in 2025, however, adding to the importance of the Ravens’ other backfield options. That has included Hill, whose seven-year career has been spent exclusively with Baltimore.

The 28-year-old has received more than three carries only once so far this season, but he has remained a regular presence in the passing game. Hill’s injury ensures he will not come close to matching the career-high 42 receptions he made in 2024, but his absence will be felt moving forward. Keaton Mitchell and Rasheen Ali will serve as Henry’s backups down the stretch.

Since the season-ending neck injury suffered by Nnamdi Madubuike, depth along the defensive interior has been a question for the Ravens. Bryan joined the team’s practice squad in September, and he has since found his way onto the active roster. A veteran of 118 games, he has made five appearances in a rotational capacity this season. Bryan’s absence will lead to an increased workload for the likes of Travis Jones, John Jenkins and Brent Urban along the D-line.

The Ravens designated edge rusher Adisa Isaac and receiver Dayton Wade for return from IR during roster cutdowns, meaning their activations have already been accounted for. The team has yet to use any of its remaining six activations so far, but in Hill and Bryan’s case doing so will be needed if they are to play again this season.

Vikings Bring Back QB Desmond Ridder

Desmond Ridder is back in Minnesota. The journeyman quarterback has signed a practice squad deal with the Vikings, per a team announcement.

J.J. McCarthy is in concussion protocol, and today’s news essentially confirms he will (expectedly) miss at least one week. With Carson Wentz sidelined for the remainder of the season, undrafted rookie Max Brosmer will get the nod in Week 13. Ridder could very well dress as his backup against the Seahawks.

After Minnesota’s quarterback depth chart changed late in the summer (with Wentz being added as a veteran backup and Sam Howell being traded away), McCarthy’s ankle injury created the need for insurance under center. That resulted in Ridder working out for the Vikings in early September and landing a deal on the active roster. The former third-rounder departed the Raiders in free agency but he was among the Bengals’ final roster cuts at the end of training camp.

Ridder did not wind up seeing any playing time during his brief Minnesota stint. The 26-year-old has not played at all this season. A workout with the 49ers took place in October, but no contract came about as a result. Ridder will now head back to the Vikings at least until McCarthy clears concussion protocol.

During his rookie year, Ridder started the final four games of the season. His showing in that role resulted in a 13-game stretch of starts the following campaign, but the Cincinnati product again put up underwhelming numbers. Ridder made a total of six appearances last season as a member of the Raiders, including one start. In all, he has totaled 18 regular season starts, posting a passer rating of 82.6 along the way.

The Vikings have lost five of six games since their bye week, with poor play under center representing a major problem. It will be interesting to see how Brosmer fares in his NFL debut, but Ridder will give Minnesota a more experienced replacement option if necessary.